Samui Island (Koh Samui)

SAMUI ISLAND

Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province (or Koh Samui, Thai: เกาะสมุย) is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand's third largest island, with an area of 228.7 km² and a population of 47,874 (2006). It is rich with natural resources, white sandy beaches, coral reefs and coconut trees.

Slogan
Based upon the Surat Thani province, Ko Samui holds the same slogan as the province, i.e. Hundreds of islands, tasty rambutan, huge oyster, fermented eggs and Dharma land

History
The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by

fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and Southern China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam. The name Samui is mysterious in itself. Perhaps it is an extension of the name of one of the native trees, mui, or it is a corruption of the Chinese word Saboey, meaning "safe haven".

Until the late 20th century, Samui was an isolated self-sufficient

community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island was even without roads until the early 1970s, and the 15km journey from one side of the island to the other involved a whole-day trek through the mountainous central jungles.

Samui has a population of about forty-five thousand, and lives on a successful

tourist industry, as well as exports of coconut and rubber. It even has its own international airport, Samui Airport, with flights daily to Bangkok and other major airports in Southeast Asia. While the island presents an unspoiled image to the public perception, economic growth has brought not only prosperity, but changes to the island's environment and culture, a source of conflict between local residents and migrants from other parts of Thailand and other countries. [2] Reflecting Samui's growth as a tourist destination, the Cunard ship MS Queen Victoria (a 2000-plus passenger ship) will dock at Samui during its 2008 world cruise.[3]

Geography
Lipa Noi Beach

Bo Phut Beach
Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand, about 35km northeast of Surat Thani town (9°N, 100°E). The island measures some 21 kilometres at its widest point, and 25 kilometres at its longest. There is a 51-kilometre ring and largely coastal road encircles the island.
It is surrounded by about sixty other islands, most of which comprise the Ang Thong National Marine Park, but also include other tourist destinations Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao and Ko Nang Yuan.
The island is roughly circular in shape, and is about 15km across. The central part of the island is an (almost) uninhabitable mountain jungle (peak Khao Pom, 635m) and the various lowland areas are connected together by a single road, that covers the circumference of the island.
The old capital is Nathon, on the southwest coast of the island, and remains the major port for fishing and inter-island transportation. Nathon is the seat of the regional government, and the true commercial hub of the Samui locals. It has a charming pace, and is almost small enough to walk everywhere. The old Chinese shop houses along the middle street whisper of an exotic history.

Each of Samui's primary

beaches is now also nominally considered a town, due to the number of hotels, restaurants and bars that have sprung up in recent years.

Administration
Administratively, Ko Samui is an Amphoe (district) of Surat Thani Province. The district is subdivided into 7 subdistricts (tambon). Also the complete island is one municipality (thesaban mueang). The district covers the island, as well as the Ang Thong archipelago and some other small islands nearby.
Ang Thong
Lipa Noi
Taling Ngam
Na Mueang
Maret
Bo Phut
Mae Nam


Samui international airport

Climate
Ko Samui, like the rest of the south of Thailand has only the two seasons. The rainy season is from May to December and the dry season is from January to April. Since the weather is tropical however, the rain when it does fall, does so heavily but doesn’t last long.

Economy
Historically the island's economy has been based around subsistence agriculture and fishing, with coconuts as the main cash crop. From the 1980s onwards however, tourism has become an economic factor and is now the dominant industry. The construction of a stable, high-speed internet connection in recent years has also made the island a practicable location for IT-based enterprises, which are beginning to provide a certain degree of economic diversity. The island's climate and accessibility make it particularly attractive for international investors.

Transportation
Ko Samui Airport (USM) is a private airport originally built by Bangkok Airways, which is still the main operator and was for a long time the only airline with services to Ko Samui from Thailand.

Samui Airport (USM) in the northeast of the island is served by Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways International. Several ferries connect the island with the mainland, including the car ferry from Don Sak to a pier in the west of the island, south of the main town Nathon.

Bus and Boat
There are both non air-conditioned and air-conditioned buses to Bangkok and other southern provinces. There are also non air-condition inter-provincial buses. From Ko Samui are regular boats to and from Surat Thani and Ko Phang-ngan. There is also a daily boat to Ko Tao. Private speedboats are also hired for travel to and from Ko Samui.

Taxi
The Ko Samui Taxi Service is a public taxi service which operates around the island.

Songthaew
Pickup trucks/public passenger pick-up vehicles (songthaews) are the most popular form of transport on Ko Samui

Motorbike
Motorbikes are out rented virtually everywhere on Ko Samui. Popular with the locals are motorbike-taxis.

Bicycles
Many foreign visitors prefer to use the rented bicycles to get around.

Tourism
It was only the early 1970s that the first backpackers traveling on the back of a coconut boat arrived on Ko Samui. And for years after that the island just had a few bungalows and a trickle of travelers. Things started to change however, in the early 1990s; tourists started arriving in the boat-full and since then the place has soared in popularity. Samui is now the second most popular place as an island destination in Thailand (first is Phuket). Ko Samui may not be the country’s most beautiful island but it is still an oasis of natural beauty with its white sandy beaches, dazzling coral, luscious lagoons, picturesque waterfalls, swaying coconut trees and crystal clear water. Tourism is now ahead of coconuts as the islands main industry.
Unfortunately, development on Ko Samui is starting to take its toll and the beaches of Chaweng and Lamai are as overcrowded as anywhere on the Costa-del-Sol. Other than that however, there are still legions of quieter locations to ‘get away from it all’.

Beaches
Samui is visited mostly by holidaymakers wanting to "get away from it all", and its main appeal is its funky rural beach communities with white beaches and clear & warm seas, and it has a few exceptional ones to choose from. Ko Samui is hardly "away from it all" anymore, but rather a cool and bustling international island resort.

Activities
Scuba Diving & Snorkelling
Ko Samui’s clear waters are not the best but snorkeling and diving are still popular at Angthong Marine National Park. The dive boats tend to leave from the pier at Bophut
Sea Kayaking
With a coastline composed of mangroves, limestone, small coves, caves and islands, and an interior with rivers lined with cave systems, Ko Samui provides a popular environment for kayaking.
Samui’s pristine forests are decent for bird watching. The areas are a nesting ground for several rare species of birds.

Sailing Yachting & Cruising
All types of boating have soared in popularity in Samui over the past decade. This is probably the result of the success of the Ko Samui Regatta and day cruises and sunset cruises aboard large catamaran Kia Ora. The only problem with sailing however, in Ko Samui, is that there isn’t much in the way of safe mooring, good support infrastructure and services.
Fishing
Fishers catch the likes of marlin, sailfish barracuda and tuna. The majority of the fishing tours leave from the south-west corner of Ko Tong Krut.

Jungle Trekking
Krabi’s forests with attractive flora and fauna are popular for trekking. The Khao Phanom Bencha National Park and the Khao Pra-Bang Khram are regarded as the two of the favorites among trekkers.

Bungy Jumping
Bungy Jump situated on the Reggae Street side of Chaweng lake.

Thai Boxing
Thai Boxing or Muay Thai has risen in popularity in Koh Samui and there are a number of gyms such as Lamai, WMC and Pinyo.

Golf
There is one 18-hole golf courses available on Samui called the Santiburi Samui Country Club. It is popular for its scenic natural surroundings and high valley fairways. The island is also the location of a few golf shops, especially on Chaweng Beach.

Trekking & Elephant Trekking
Due to diversity of the landscape and tropically lush forests, Samui is a great place for trekking, either on foot or by elephant

Snooker & Pool
There are snooker clubs at the main beaches in Thailand and they are popular with the local Thais. More popular with the western tourists is pool which can easily be found at the island’s bars. At most bars, pool can be played for free.

Spa
For those who love to ‘spa’, Thailand is the perfect destination to indulge in this pastime therapy. The country prides itself in countless spas offering the highest world class services at extremely reasonable rates. Much of the recent success of this therapy is due to the tremendous support given by the Thai Spa Operators Association. Not only have they assisted in the training of therapists to international standards but also trained them in keeping methods traditionally and distinctively ‘Thai-style’. Spas can be found at major hotels and resorts on Ko Samui.

Shopping
Shopping in Koh Samui is limited to three major areas, these are Nathon market, Chaweng market and Lamai market.

Local Products
Besides coconuts, Samui is also famed for its silk, handicrafts and precious gems and these can easily be bought at great prices from reputable shops and companies. There is also lacquerware, silverware, nilonware, pewterware, wood-carvings, brassware, gold and tailor-made suits.

Nightlife
Beer bars
Chaweng Beach is especially famous for its beer bars (also called bar-beers), staffed by pretty hostesses, usually from the north-east of Thailand.
Beer bars can be found all over Chaweng. Besides having just girls for hire, the bars offer pool, Connect4 and other popular bar games. Since the nightlife on Chaweng can see serious debauchery at times, the local law enforcers are strict in concern to enforcing closing times.

Nightclubs
Chaweng Beach is packed out with nightclubs playing the latest rave sounds and serving exotic cocktails.

Karaoke
There are various Karaoke shops for people who can either choose a private room or sing in the main lounge for everyone to hear. There are Thai songs and international songs.